Hunting prospects continued

This is a multi-part series about the 2015 hunting prospects.

Bird hunting success in Grant and Adams counties is on the increase. Read on.

Quail

Grant County was Washington’s second highest producing county in 2014, while Adams County is not a destination quail hunting county. Hunters bagged 14,161 quail in District 5 in 2014 (12,154 in Grant County and 2,007 in Adams County), which was a 16 percent increase from the 2013 harvest.

Traditional quail hunting areas on Fish and Wildlife lands in the Ephrata district include the Desert Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex between Potholes Reservoir and the town of George, Lower Crab Creek between Corfu and the Columbia River, Gloyd Seeps between Stratford and Moses Lake, the Quincy unit near the town of Quincy and the Dry Falls unit at the south end of Banks Lake. Hunters will increase their odds greatly with a well-trained dog to either flush or point, and retrieve the birds.

Large coveys are difficult to find by mid-season on public lands and successful hunters will attempt to identify multiple coveys to pursue throughout the season. Riparian areas will offer the best hunting and hunters can increase their chances by securing access to private lands, where pressure can be considerably lower.

If pressure is high, some coveys can be found settling into shrub cover a considerable distance from heavily hunted areas. Hunters with wide ranging pointing breeds can be most successful at targeting these coveys.

Quail hunting is expected to be abundant this year. Winter temperatures were not far from the norm and the area lacked long periods of snow crust that can result in low overwinter survival. Summer conditions were good for brood survival.

Chukar and partridge

During the 2014 season, hunters harvested 457 chukar and 320 gray partridge in District 5; a 34 percent and 2 percent increase from 2013, respectively. The vast majority of the harvest for both species was from Grant County.

The Ephrata District is not a popular destination for chukar/partridge hunters, but a few birds can be found. Most chukar hunting in the Ephrata District occurs in the Coulee Corridor areas around Banks and Lenore Lakes and also along the Columbia River breaks north of Vantage. Chukar is a challenging but rewarding game bird to pursue.

Though the Ephrata District has some chukar hunting opportunities, there are much better areas of the state to focus efforts. Gray partridge occur in low densities in the basin, but are rarely targeted by hunters. Instead they are taken incidentally while hunting chukar, quail, or pheasant.

Most gray partridge will occur on private farm fields, particularly in the dryland wheat portions of Adams and, to a lesser degree, Grant counties. Chukar and gray partridge are resilient birds and thus likely fared well through the winter, which had very little snow cover. Spring conditions were favorable, but the extreme drought may have affected some populations where water is limited.

Dove

Grant County was Washington’s top dove producing county in 2014. Dove hunters harvested 17,671 doves, up 10 percent from the 2013 harvest. Grant County recorded the highest dove harvest, with hunters bagging 15,744. Hunters harvested 1,927 doves in Adams County.

With an extra month of season and an increase to a 15 bird limit, dove hunting is expected to be very good in 2015. If conditions are stable, the birds found during scouting should be around during the hunt, but unstable conditions often redistribute birds significantly.

Hunters may improve their success by securing access to wheat fields for the morning hunt. Evening hunts can be productive in wheat fields or in traditional roosting areas. Look for large stands of trees (preferably with dead limbs) adjacent to water and surrounded by agriculture for the best roost hunt results.

Roost site hunting can be found along the north and west sides of Potholes Reservoir, the east side of Winchester Lake and throughout the Desert Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex.

Ephrata biologists planted four food plots to increase dove use and hunter opportunity for the 2015 hunting season. Fields were planted in sunflower, millet, and barley and total approximately 20 acres.

Two fields are located on the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area just southeast of Moses Lake at the junction of Road 3 SE and Road X NE. The other two are located on the Royal Slope and are part of the Hunt by Reservation Program (Rd 15, Rd 13 south of Hwy 26). Fields will be mowed prior to and during the hunting season to provide a consistent food source that will attract doves and increase shooting opportunities.

Upland bird management

Upland bird management in the Ephrata District consists primarily of sharecropping and strategic use of bird feeders to increase over-winter survival. However, efforts are underway to enhance nesting cover throughout the Gloyd Seeps Unit. Wildlife area staff is currently working to establish over 200 acres of nesting cover.

These fields required a fallow period to reduce the seedbed of noxious weeds and invasive vegetation, which is now completed. Seeding of native perennial grasses occurred during winter of 2014. The site should continue to mature and improve over the next few years.

Waterfowl

Ducks — Grant County is consistently Washington’s top duck producing county and 2014 was no different. Last year, hunters harvested 65,332 ducks in Grant County. Adams County hunters added 11,403 ducks for a district total of 76,735, an 18 percent increase over the 2013 harvest for the district.

Geese — Grant County was Washington’s top goose producing county in 2014. Last year, hunters harvested 15,127 geese in Grant County. Adams County hunters added 2,625 geese for a district total of 17,752, a 17 percent increase over the 2013 harvest for the district.

Next week: Hunting prospects continued.